Staten Island high schoolers get degrees in timely fashion but lag in college index

Staten Island Advance/Nicole BoffaMembers of the Class of 2010 at Staten Island Technical High School

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The rate of students graduating on time in 2010 rose or held steady at most Staten Island public high schools, but when it came to a new standard measuring college readiness, many fewer students made the grade.

On Staten Island, the graduation rate was 72.7 percent for 2010 -- 74.4, if August grads are included -- the highest of any borough, according to statistics released yesterday. There was no boroughwide measurement of how many Islanders met the new "aspirational performance measure," designed to show college readiness, but at most schools, the figure hovered in the 20s or 30s.

To meet the standard, students had to score 75 or higher on the English language arts Regents exam, and 80 or higher on their math Regents. The benchmark is based on what a student must typically score to avoid remedial course work in college, Department of Education spokesman Matt Mittenthal said.

The city graduation rate for the class of 2010 was 61 percent -- 65.1 percent, if August graduates are included, a record high. But just 21.4 percent of students citywide met the college readiness standard.

Mittenthal said the problem lies not with the students but with the standards. Students need only a 65 on three of five required Regents exams to graduate, well below the college readiness standard.

"They're meeting the standards that our schools have set for them, and our schools are doing that as well," Mittenthal said. "The state standards, it's widely agreed, are too low."

What's indicated, he said, is a realignment of "what it takes to get a high school diploma with what it takes to succeed after high school."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg focused on the rising graduation rates in his announcement of the statistics yesterday, touting shrinking achievement gaps and lower dropout rates at small schools that replaced larger, struggling ones.

"These new high school graduation rates are proof positive that the reforms we've adopted and the investments we've made are paying off in a big way," he said in a statement. "I'm proud of our students, teachers, principals and parents for achieving this all-time high graduation rate, and the fact that black and Hispanic students are reaching new milestones is great news for our City."

Locally, nearly every Island school saw a disparity between the graduation rate and the percent of students who were college-ready. While 63.6 percent of students graduated on time at Port Richmond High School in 2010 --up from 56.4 percent in 2009 -- just 15.4 percent were college-ready.

At New Dorp High School, the on-time graduation rate was 73.7 percent, an increase from 66 percent in 2009, but just 20.2 percent of students met the college-ready standards.

At the College of Staten Island High School for International Studies, the 2010 graduation rate was 95 percent -- but just 23.8 percent were college-ready. At Tottenville High School, the graduation rate was 82 percent -- but just 31.1 percent were college-ready.

The best-performing local school was Staten Island Tech, where 99.7 percent of students graduated on time, and 97.9 met the college-ready Regents guideline. At the Michael J. Petrides School 88.5 percent of students graduated on time -- down from 97.3 percent in 2009 -- and 39.8 percent were college-ready.

The on-time graduation rate fell at McKee, from 61 percent to 55.4 percent, with only 9.1 percent college-ready. At Curtis High School, the on-time graduation rate was 69.2 percent, less than a point off last year, but just 20.3 percent were college ready. The graduation rate rose at Susan E. Wagner High School, from 69.9 to 75.9 percent, but just 31.5 percent were college-ready.